Chronicle • Kendra Stanley-MillsThe 40-foot tall Norway spruce that was set in place in Hackley Park Tuesday morning received a police escort down Clay Avenue as it was delivered. (Click to enlarge)

Chronicle • Kendra Stanley-MillsTim Malotke, with the City of Muskegon Forestry Division, hooks up the 40-foot tall Norway spruce that was set up in Hackley Park Tuesday morning. The tree will be decorated for the holidays. (Click to enlarge)Chronicle • Kendra Stanley-MillsCity of Muskegon park maintenance worker, Sue Nichols, left, looks up at the 40-foot tall Norway spruce set up in Hackley Park Tuesday morning. Rob Lukos, with the City of Muskegon Forestry Division, right, also helped with the tree's setup. (Click to enlarge)

For the second consecutive year of what is becoming an annual holiday tradition, a Community Christmas Tree was "planted" in Muskegon's Hackley Park Tuesday morning.
The 40-foot Norway spruce was cut from the front yard of Jim and Joyce Muston, 3911 E. River in Twin Lake, where a crew from the City Yards had assembled at 8:30 in the morning.

Some 90 minutes later, Mark Holman of Andy's Tree Service was at the controls of an 80-foot boom, adroitly lowering the tree into a special 4-foot manhole that serves as a tree holder in Hackley Park.

While that was going on, the Rev. Dennis Remenschneider walked over from St. Paul's Episcopal Church across the street and gave an impromptu blessing: "...may it give joy to all who see it," he said.

Once it is lit, the tree will be part of Hackley Park's traditional holiday decorations. They include a variety of secular and religious themes, ranging from Baby Jesus and the Magi to Santa and his reindeer

This year's tree is shorter than the 50-footer Laketon Township resident Jim Timme donated last year, but wider -- so wide that a special sheriff's escort was required to get it down River Road.

For the complete story, return to mlive.com/chronicle on Wednesday, or pick up a copy of Wednesday's Muskegon Chronicle.